Sky Harbor's overall operations haven't been impacted by the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX 8 aircraft, but you might want to double check the status of every flight on your itinerary for potential delays.

During a press conference Wednesday, the FAA said that new evidence gathered in the wreckage combined with new satellite data indicated a flight pattern similar to the Lion Air crash in October. That caused the agency to arrive at the decision to ground the aircraft. In a statement, Boeing stated it supported the FAA's decision even though it "continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX."

Sky Harbor has more than 1,200 aircraft arrive and depart each day. The number of 737 MAX 8 jets serving Sky Harbor make up a small fraction of that, but the grounding could cause a hiccup in your travel plans as airlines rebook passengers and move aircraft to accommodate the order from the FAA .

Impact to Southwest Airlines flights

Only 34 of Southwest Airlines' 750 Boeing 737s are MAX 8 models. The airline said it didn't know how many of the now-grounded planes served Sky Harbor at any given time.

Data from website FlightAware indicated Southwest had approximately 14 flights to and from Sky Harbor using MAX 8 aircraft on Wednesday. Southwest has 194 departures from Sky Harbor daily.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he signed an order to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes involved in two recent catastrophic crashes.(Photo: David Koenig/Associated Press)

While we remain confident in the MAX 8 after completing more than 88,000 flight hours accrued over 41,000 flights, we support the actions of the FAA and other regulatory agencies and governments across the globe that have asked for further review of the data – including information from the flight data recorder – related to the recent accident involving the MAX 8. The Safety of our Customers and Employees is our uncompromising priority, and today's action reflects the commitment to supporting the current investigations and regulatory concerns.

The airline said it was using available aircraft as well as rebooking passengers to accommodate the grounding. In addition, Southwest said any customer booked on a cancelled MAX 8 flight can rebook on alternate flights without additional fees or fare differences within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city pairs.

You can contact Southwest Customer service at (800) 435-9792 or online at southwest.com.

Impact to American Airlines flights

American Airlines operates 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet of 956 aircraft. None of the affected models fly to or from Phoenix Sky Harbor. However, as with Southwest, passengers connecting in other destinations might find their flights affected.

CLOSE

President Donald Trump says the U.S. is issuing an emergency order grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the wake of a crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people. (March 13)
AP

In an emailed statement, American Airlines stated:

Earlier today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed us that based on new information, they are grounding the United States Boeing 737 MAX fleet out of an abundance of caution. American Airlines has 24 aircraft affected by this directive. We appreciate the FAA’s partnership, and will continue to work closely with them, the Department of Transportation, National Transportation Safety Board and other regulatory authorities, as well as our aircraft and engine manufacturers. Our teams will be working to rebook customers as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

If you are on an American Airlines flight, make sure to check the status of your flight online. You can contact customer service at (800) 433-7300 or online at aa.com

Impact to United Airlines flights

United Airlines does not fly the 737 MAX 8 but does fly 14 of the 737 MAX 9. That aircraft is also included in the FAA's order but United does not use it on routes in and out of Sky Harbor.

Southwest 737 MAX 8 aircraft(Photo: Southwest Airlines)

In a statement, United said:

Nothing is more important to United Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees. As we have said since Sunday, we have been in close contact with investigators as well as Boeing to share data and fully cooperate with regulatory authorities.

We will comply with the FAA’s order and will ground our 14 737 MAX aircraft. We will remain in close touch with authorities as their investigation continues.

Since Sunday, we have been working diligently on contingency plans to prepare our fleet to minimize the impact to customers. Our MAX aircraft account for roughly 40 flights a day and through a combination of spare aircraft and rebooking customers, we do not anticipate a significant operational impact as a result of this order. We will continue to work with our customers to help minimize any disruption to their travel.

You can reach United customer service at (800) 864-8331 or at united.com.